Pemberton: Pistons get final grades

It was another tough season for the Pistons, one that ultimately cost head coach Lawrence Frank his job.

Detroit won just 29 games, missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

As bad as the season was for the Pistons, there is still hope for the immediate future.

Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond look like quality big men the franchise can build around and the team will have more than $20 million in cap space and another lottery pick(Detroit tied for the 7th worst record) this offseason.

The Pistons are currently searching for a new head coach in hopes they can help turn the franchise around.

With a busy offseason already started with the coaching search, there is still time to look back at the 2012/13 season with the Pistons’ final grades:

Will Bynum — Bynum had one of the better years of his career, averaging 9.8 points and 3.6 assists in less than 19 minutes a game. Bynum had a rough November and fell out of the rotation in December, but after being put back in the rotation on Dec. 21, Bynum averaged 11.5 points and 4.0 assists in 47 games. Bynum will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Grade: B

Jose Calderon — Calderon was acquired at the end of January. He averaged 11.6 points and 6.6 assists, while shooting 52.7 percent from the field, including 52 percent on 3-pointers in 28 games as a Piston. Calderon was brought in to boost the offense, but it never really materialized. The Pistons averaged just 92.5 points with Calderon in the lineup and to put that number in perspective, three teams tied for the lowest average on the season at 93.2 points per game. Grade: C+

Andre Drummond — Drummond showed flashes that he can be a franchise big man. The 19-year-old Drummond averaged 7.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.0 steals in less than 21 minutes a game this season. A back injury cost him 22 games, but he returned and averaged 11.1 points, 8.2 rebounds. 1.1 blocks and 1.2 steals in the final 10 games. Drummond still has a lot of work to do, notably free-throw shooting (37.1 percent this year), but has the potential to be a force for years to come. Grade: A-

Kim English — English played sparingly, averaging 2.9 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists in less than 10 minutes per game in 41 games. English showed some potential, but didn’t play enough to earn a true grade. Grade: Incomplete

Jonas Jerebko — Jerebko finished the season strong after a terrible start and falling out of the rotation for more than two months. He averaged 12.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in his final 10 games. On the season he averaged 7.7 points and 3.8 rebounds, both career lows, in 49 games. Grade: C

Brandon Knight — Knight had to adjust to playing shooting guard after the trade for Calderon. Knight averaged 12.4 points, 3.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds, while shooting 39.3 percent from the field in the 29 games after Detroit traded for Calderon. Overall Knight didn’t make a ton of progress from his rookie season so it will be an important offseason for him. Grade: B-

Viacheslav Kravtsov — Other than a six-game stretch in February where he averaged 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in nearly 19 minutes per game, Kravtsov played sparingly. A majority of his 25 games played was in mop-up duty with the game already decided. Grade: Incomplete

Corey Maggette — Maggette played his final game of the year on Dec. 15, sitting out the final 56 games. Maggette averaged 5.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 18 games this season. He will be an unrestricted free agent. Grade: Incomplete

Jason Maxiell — A detached retina cost Maxiell the final nine games of the season. Maxiell started 71 of the 72 games he played in, averaging 6.9 points and 5.7 rebounds. Maxiell got off a solid start to the season, but really struggled in January and February before having a respectable March. Maxiell will be a unrestricted free agent. Grade: C

Khris Middleton — Middleton finished the season strong, averaging 8.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in more than 24 minutes per game in the month of April. Middleton played in 23 of the final 27 games of the season after playing just five times in the first 55 games of the season. It’s still hard to give Middleton a grade for the whole season. Grade: Incomplete

Greg Monroe — Monroe was Detroit’s most consistent player, averaging 16 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals. Monroe had 37 double-doubles, the ninth most in the NBA and one more than LeBron James. Monroe played the final 10 games at power forward and will likely start next season there with Drummond playing center. Grade: A-

Kyle Singler — Singler was the only Piston to play in all 82 games, starting 74 of them. Singler started 37 games at shooting guard before moving to small forward after the Pistons traded Tayshaun Prince. Singler averaged 9.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 37 games at small forward. Grade: B-

Rodney Stuckey — Stuckey was consistently inconsistent this season. He finished the season strong, averaging 14.4 points and 5.4 assists in eight games in April. On the season he averaged 11.5 points and 3.6 assists, both the lowest since his rookie season. Grade: C-

Charlie Villanueva — Villanueva averaged 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds, both career lows. He was second on the team in 3-pointers made with 90. Villanueva played sparingly to end the year, logging double-digit minutes in just 10 of the last 22 games. Villanueva enters the final year of his contract next season. Grade: C-